My Answer to Cancer: Chicken Pot Pie, Corn Tortillas, & Spreading Joy

My Answer to Cancer: Chicken Pot Pie, Corn Tortillas, & Spreading Joy

Let me know your thoughts about the podcast. Thank you for listening! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1885936/fan_mail/new] A doctor looked me in the eye and gave me a number: two to five years. I’m not sharing that for shock value. I’m sharing it because I refuse to let a statistic become my story, especially after living with cancer for 14 years, surviving lung surgery, recurrence, and a long run on targeted therapies that eventually stopped working. Now I’m on chemotherapy every three weeks, and the week after treatment can flatten me. I talk honestly about what that feels like and what I’m trying to do anyway: keep teaching, keep connecting, keep living. I also explain why I take prognosis timelines with a grain of salt. Medicine is real, but it’s also moving fast. Genome testing, new research, and unexpected breakthroughs can change what’s possible, and I want you to hold that hope without drifting into denial. Then I get to what I believe is my “answer” to cancer: joy. Not the kind that shows up when life is easy, but the kind you practice on purpose. I share how a simple smile can change my whole day, why food and cooking have become a reliable source of happiness, and how small rituals give me something to look forward to even when I feel awful. Most importantly, I talk about bringing joy to other people through hosting, one-on-ones, and classes and why I believe that loving and helping people is a powerful spiritual and emotional force. If you get something from this, subscribe, share it with someone who needs strength, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What’s one small joy you’re choosing this week?

The Frum Single Girl Rap

Let me know your thoughts about the podcast. Thank you for listening! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1885936/fan_mail/new] Coach Ratner takes a stab at making a clever rap about single Frum women who are in the dating process. Entire lyrics are in the transcript. Enjoy!

The Mount Sinai Rap

Let me know your thoughts about the podcast. Thank you for listening! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1885936/fan_mail/new]

Five Dates To Meet Your Mate (Go thorugh 5 dates, what to talk about, what NOT to talk about, defining red flags, green flags, chemistry, and what a successful date looks like)

Let me know your thoughts about the podcast. Thank you for listening! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1885936/fan_mail/new] First dates can feel like a pop quiz you never studied for, so we built a simple roadmap that replaces nerves with clarity: five dates that gradually move from light connection to real commitment. We start with a mindset shift that changes everything. A first date is not an interview, it is an energy check. We share first date questions that spark easy conversation while quietly revealing priorities, values, and character, including prompts about Shabbos, life choices, and the “lottery test” that exposes how someone thinks about time, money, and purpose.  From there, we get honest about what to avoid early: ex talk, family dysfunction dumps, money flexing, and future planning that is too intense too soon. We also talk about the power of being a little mysterious, not as a game, but as a healthy pace that protects attraction and keeps a relationship from turning into a therapy session. On the second and third dates, we raise the depth with questions about role models, personal growth, and value alignment, especially around spending habits and lifestyle expectations, because financial values and direction in life can make or break a marriage.  We also define chemistry in plain language you can actually use: conversation that flows, time that speeds up, playful tension, calm plus energy, and silence that does not feel awkward. You will hear clear red flags and green flags, plus why leaving a date feeling anxious, confused, or drained matters. Finally, we push for intention with dating timelines, and we share our “four S’s” framework for knowing whether a connection is real: seen, safe, sexy, and salsa. If this helps, subscribe, share with a friend who is dating for marriage, and leave a review. What is the best question you have ever asked on a first date?

From Swipe Right to Wedding Night: How to Make Yourself Irresistibly Marriageable (how to upgrade yourself from fruitcake to hottie! Learn the tools to turn yourself into someone that everyone wants to date, marry, or just ahem, ahem!)

Let me know your thoughts about the podcast. Thank you for listening! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1885936/fan_mail/new] We lay out a clear, practical roadmap for becoming more dateable and more marriageable, from what you wear and say on early dates to how you build real emotional connection. We also break down the traits that predict a strong marriage, including support, resilience, boundaries, self-esteem, and love that shows up as action. • why we built a class around five purposeful dates  • four levels of dateability from Fruitcake to Hottie  • first date bias plus dressing well and smiling  • manners and small behaviors that signal character  • nerves in early dating and why we use the three-date rule  • better first date questions and how to stay engaging  • values alignment with money habits and future plans  • boundaries in conversation and what not to overshare  • warning signs around anger, driving, and disrespect  • the four S test for early compatibility  • support as the difference between empty and alive  • resilience and self-esteem as relationship foundations  • love as a verb, not a scorecard, and why purpose matters